On Saturday, June 7, 2025, Harvard University Department of Music Alumnus Aristo Sham won First Prize at the prestigious Van Cliburn Piano Competition. Sham, who graduate from the Harvard-NEC dual degree program, was also awarded the Carla and Kelly Thompson Audience Award. The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is widely considered “one of the most…
Professor Yvette Janine Jackson named 2025 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts Recipient
The Department of Music is thrilled to announce Assistant Professor of Music Yvette Janine Jackson has been named a recipient of the 2025 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. Initiated and funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, and administered by the California Institute of the Arts, the award honors and supports artists respected for their…
Discoveries on a musical path
Discoveries on a musical path From Benin to Cuba to the Americas, Yosvany Terry sees how tradition safeguards culture and identity This article was originally published on April 28, 2025 on The Harvard Gazette website. Visit the Gazette website to learn more. By Julie McDonough, Harvard Correspondent: During recent travels to the West African nation…
Orchestrating Belonging: Student Center Orchestra makes beautiful – and underheard – music together
Orchestrating Belonging Led by conductor Leo Sarbanes, the Student Center Orchestra makes beautiful – and underheard – music together This article was originally published on April 15, 2025 on the Griffin GSAS website. Visit the GSAS website to learn more. By Claudia Romano: Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Pastoral Symphony was inspired by the English composer’s experiences as an…
Carolyn Abbate Honored at 2025 Everett I. Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award Ceremony
On Thursday, March 27, 2025 the 26th annual Everett I. Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Awards ceremony took place. The Department of Music’s Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser University Professor Carolyn Abbate was among those honored during the event. The Mentoring Awards began in 1999 by the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council as part of a program sponsored by…
Alejandro L. Madrid Featured in TIME Magazine Article
The Department of Music’s Walter W. Naumburg Professor of Music Alejandro L. Madrid was recently interviewed by TIME Magazine as an expert commentator for the article “What Bad Bunny’s Chart-Topping Salsa Tracks Mean for Latin Music.” Excerpt: Experts note that Bad Bunny’s decision to incorporate these genres of music on the album is a natural…
Samora Pinderhughes is the Adobe Creative Resident at MoMA
The Department of Music is thrilled to announce Samora Pinderhughes will be the 2025 Adobe Creative Resident at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. During his residency, Pinderhughes is proposing the creation of sonic healing rooms to facilitate the grieving and healing needs of people who have experienced high levels of structural…
Student Spotlight: Dacha Thurber
Dacha Thurber is a Senior and Double Concentrator in Music and Computer Science. “I’ve played the violin almost my whole life and here at Harvard I play in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and study with Professor Daniel Chong. I try to play as much as possible.”…
Student Spotlight: Veronica Li
Student Spotlight: Veronica Li Veronica Li is a Junior at Harvard and a Double Concentrator in Music and Psychology. “I’m a clarinetist and the former Creative Director and current President of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra. I’m also part of the Harvard College Opera Orchestra, Harvard Pops Orchestra, and the PBHA Harmony Mentorship program.” Veronica is also…
Samora Pinderhughes featured on Works in Progress Podcast
Department of Music Graduate Student Samora Pinderhughes was recently featured on Season 2, Episode 2 of the Harvard ArtLab’s podcast, Works in Progress. On it, Pinderhughes discusses his artistic practice and musical inspiration for The Healing Project. The episode includes excerpts from a recent performance of The Healing Project at Harvard, presented by ArtLab and the Harvard University…